OK, so you wanna Hunt Big Wild Boar with an Airgun ?

[cnjl3]

Good info here - thanks for posting - and I agree that you should pass on the snot shot.

[Nomadic Pirate]

I wanna make things perfectly clear now,.....I'm not advocating the nostril shot, however if a porker is looking right at you and you only have those 2 seconds to act the nostril shot would be way higher percentage than the in between the eyes shot.

so lets say for example that I have a boar pointing his nose at me and I know his not gonna hung around for long now, and I'm carrying my 130 FPE .357 I might well consider the shot, ( I would never with a 60 FPE .25 )

never had the chance in the past, but has always been a shot I've been thinking about ......when you out there in the thick stuff, Wild Boar territory, you do alot of thinking, LOL

[airpuffhunter]

ok I got it . thank you manny

[chancers]

Cool post.  It's interesting how tiny the pig brain is (esp. considering how intelligent pigs are).  That animal is just one giant snout with large nasal airways and teeth/jaws.

Waiting for the critter to put its head down (so you can get a top of the noggin shot)  -  sounds familar.  This shots works great with coyotes and coons.   

Possums have similar slanted pointed snouts and tiny brains.  I'm not a pinpoint shooter and have difficulty with possum head shots.  My solution is to use more power (100 fpe Condor), 71 grain slugs, and go for body shots. 

[Nomadic Pirate]

Yeah this Thread pretty much translates to every bigger mammal hunted with Airguns.

.....Overkill is good brother 

[Geoff]

Thanks for the write up and photos.  Never seen a wild hog up close and not sure I want to from what I have seen on shows where they capture them.

[Sfttailrdr46]

As Manny posted they are tough critters to kill and if you ever hunt one make your shot is effective. They usually heavy scaring around the neck and shoulders from fighting they are naturally mean and tough along with being smarter than the average dog. After reading up on some of the pcp rifles sounds doable but I think I would prefer shooting from an elevated position

[Sqrl Klr]

Does this look correct to you Manny? The red line is the pellet going directly perpendicular through thinnest part of skull just shy of the center of the blue circle which is the eye then down into the brain.

[Nomadic Pirate]

remember now that you are looking at the orbital cavity, the actual eye ball would be at the edge of the 4 O'clock position, so if taking that shot you'll have to aim 1" above the eye line, I personaly prefer to go 1" higher than that with the head tilted down more

[Sqrl Klr]

Ahh 2" above the eyes while they're feeding. Sounds good.

[Mebits]

This is really good stuff.

[LET]

We don't have wild pigs in MN but those are some great pics and discussion of getting to the brain. If we could see the same type pics with other critters it would be enlightening. That for the great info.

[Bullfrog]

I can attest to the failure of between the eye shots. It works with powder-burners with fragmenting bullets but when I tried it twice with my .25 Mrod it did not kill the first hog and sloppily killed the second hog.

Traditionally between the ear and the eye is the preferred shot with a .22LR. Both times though I hesitated to try that shot with my air gun. Next time I get a chance though I am going to try it.

This is an good thread Manny BTW. I'm learning a lot studying the cross-section of the skull.

[thegr8wendt]

Good stuff Manny!

[nced]

Close quater hunting the Wild Boar with an airgun gotta be one of the most exiting hunts out there, even more when the Small bores are used.

But to pull it off we really need to get the anatomy right to be able to make the perfect shot.
How many times you heard " I shot that big Boar with my 30/30 or .223 right between the eyes and it just run away ".....I would never consider hunting them with a lowly airgun.


Ok then, lets have a look at the boar skull

Looking at you



and the broadside




so here we have the famous between the eyes shot




now you can clearly see from the side pictures that that shot is hitting at such a slant that even the high power centerfire round would have a hard time in been effective.


Here is the shot I like to take:

Wait for the boar to put the head down, and most times I try to set up on a slope or rock to have some elevation just in case



now you can see that shot hitting square with high chance of great penetration




Now, let's open that skull to see where we really wanna go and the best path there






now we have a good look at where the brain really is


and with this picture we can make a really educated decision where to put that side shot at





I never tryed it, but if the Boar is looking right at you and your gun has enought Juice the rigth in the nostrils shot is gonna be by far the best shot

LOL.....kinda like huntin' hornets with a fly swatter to me! You'll probably be able to swat a couple before gettin' "educated under fire"! 

[Nomadic Pirate]

Huhhh ?

[diarmadhim]

LOL.....kinda like huntin' hornets with a fly swatter to me! You'll probably be able to swat a couple before gettin' "educated under fire"! 

I've been to this man's house and have seen pics of the MANY 'hornets' he's swatted.  A couple.  LOL 
I think you may need to rethink who needs educated.

[PGunner]

In most elimination Houses of old most of the cows and pigs were killed with a 22 rim fire.
Cows draw X between Eyes and Ears.
Pigs in the ear.
And that is the way we did it on the farm. But in the wild it's a little different.

[Mod90]

In most elimination Houses of old most of the cows and pigs were killed with a 22 rim fire.
Cows draw X between Eyes and Ears.
Pigs in the ear.
And that is the way we did it on the farm. But in the wild it's a little different.

Farm raised animals aren't as tough as their wild born counter parts. Their hides and bones tend to be softer.

LOL.....kinda like huntin' hornets with a fly swatter to me! You'll probably be able to swat a couple before gettin' "educated under fire"! 

If a hunter has enough respect for his quarry to learn about its anatomy thoroughly in order to find the best spot for a clean kill, you might be surprised to see how much they can accomplish regularly and reliably with very little tools.

[PGunner]

You are rite and I wouldn't want to go against a bore with a small cal. gun.
A friend of mine and I shot one in his back yard a few years ago with pistols mine was a 357 mag. at close range. Toughest dern thing I ever seen to put down.